My Town

Milpitas High winter sports roundup

by Kel Kanady

Posted:
01/23/2013 03:01:43 PM PST

Updated:
01/23/2013 03:01:43 PM PST

The Milpitas High boys varsity basketball team had a terrific week beginning with a victory on Jan. 15 over Homestead High School 63-58. Marcus Rita led the Trojans with 14 points while his brother Christian added 12. Matt Ferguson had a strong game both on defense and offense, putting up 10 points.

"It was a team effort with 11 players scoring," Coach Champ Wrencher said.

A dominating victory followed on Friday, with a 57-27 rout of the Cupertino Pioneers. The offense was strong with Christian Rita putting up 14 points and Ferguson adding 12, but the Trojan defense was the story of the night. Milpitas shut down the Pioneers' offense to less than double digits each quarter.

With the win, Milpitas improves its overall record to 8-9 on the season. Milpitas played Los Gatos on Tuesday, but results were not available by press time.

Lady Trojans continue to struggle on court

The Milpitas High School varsity girls basketball team dropped two games last week.

On Jan. 16 Milpitas hosted the Lynbrook Vikings who defeated the Trojans 48-35.

In the second, third and fourth quarters, the game was evenly matched, with Milpitas scoring 15, 10 and eight points each quarter to Lynbrook's 15, eight and nine. But the Trojans could not overcome a devastating first quarter, where they scored only three points while allowing 16.

On Friday, the Lady Trojans traveled to Wilcox where the Chargers were less than gracious hosts, defeating the Trojans 63-30.

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Milpitas scored just 10 points in the first half. The Trojans came out stronger in the second half, scoring 10 points in each quarter, but allowed 16 points in the third quarter and 14 in the fourth.

The Trojans are 6-10 overall and 0-5 in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League's De Anza Division.

Trojan booters can't contain Fremont

Despite three goals, two by sophomore Sarina Bolden and one by freshman Jazmin Latimore, the Milpitas varsity girls soccer team was defeated by Fremont 4-3 on Friday.

The defense could not stop Fremont's Jessica Yu and Taylor Sanchez, who scored two goals each. In addition to goals, Yu and Sanchez each had an assist and outplayed the Milpitas defense.

On a bright note, freshman Kendra Aviles came off the bench and played exceptionally well with one assist in an overall strong performance for Milpitas.

Boys soccer suffers first league loss

Injuries and substitutions got the best of Trojan boys varsity soccer in a 2-1 loss to the Fremont Firebirds on Friday. Before the game began, Coach Bill Leffler got word that one of his midfielders was ineligible to play. The team made an adjustment to strengthen the middle and played well. Ben Leung got a pass, powered past the defenders, and scored, giving Milpitas a 1-0 lead.

But Leffler lost another midfielder to a wicked knee injury and had to once again adjust his squad. The injuries continued as a defender was taken out after being stepped on and a sweeper was kicked in the head.

Players coming off the bench played valiantly, Leffler said, but in unfamiliar locations, they could not keep Fremont from scoring twice.

Milpitas hosted Palo Alto on Jan. 16. In a game of tight defense, the match ended in a 1-1 tie. Late in the first half, Leung got a pass from Jesus Gonzalez and made the shot for a 1-0 lead. Both teams played hard in the second half as possession went back and forth without a goal. But with a few minutes remaining, the Vikings found a hole in the Trojan defense, passed to a free man on the side who crossed the ball to an unmarked player coming from the right who shot the tying goal.

The Trojans' overall record is 6-4-3.

Trojan wrestlers drop meet to Lynbrook

The Milpitas High School varsity wrestling squad dropped a close meet to Lynbrook High School on Jan. 17. The final match decided the meet in Lynbrook's favor. Individual stats were not available.

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